


Pho-K You

by juliettenotjuliet



Category: DC - Fandom, DCU (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:53:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29267535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juliettenotjuliet/pseuds/juliettenotjuliet
Summary: She couldn't believe it. The absolute audacity this man - this boy - had of showing his face after 7 years and the first words out of his mouth is to insult the restaurant she poured her soul, sweat, and tears into.Like a red-headed ghost of the past, Wally West strode back into her life.And she couldn't wait to kick him back out.Slowburn AU: Chef-Artemis / Food Critic- Wally
Relationships: Artemis Crock/Wally West
Comments: 9
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

In the small cramped apartment in the late evening, passerbys would probably see thick coats of steam fog up the glass windows on the second floor. People may be suspecting some promiscuous activities to be the cause of the fogged windows, or at the very least some illicit drug use. But inside- just as the apartment was becoming overwhelmed in the steam- two hands quickly jerked the old windows up as a plume of white smoke emerged from the opening and into the Gotham night sky. The hands disappeared and returned with a kitchen towel as flapping arms tried to quickly dissipate the smoke from the building unit.

Never before had Artemis been so grateful for the toxic city air. 

She breathed in a deep breath and called back into the apartment to an unseen figure  
“I told you this kitchen could only handle one pot of stock boiling at a time, but no, we had to try four different recipes at once!” 

Although the words sounded chastising there was an underlying tone of affection in her voice. Artemis turned back to the stove where, sure enough, four pots were simultaneously simmering on the cramped stove. She lifted the partially covered lid to the one closest to her and inhaled the scents of the fish bones mingling with the leek. The slight hint of citrus from the makrut leaves lingered in her nose as she relaxed at the familiar scent of it all.

She started stirring and heard a pair of feet quietly pad over to her, sticking ever so slightly on the tiles. Feather-light fingers started brushing up her arms sending a chill through her body despite the warmth of the room. The arms wrapped themselves around her upper body, as a reassuring strength settled behind her. The person behind her let out a soft chuckle to let her know that they weren’t fooled by her berating. Artemis leaned into the solid body behind her and gently placed one hand over theirs. She turned her head to listen to the soft breaths coming from behind her; Artemis breathed in a deep calming breath in sync with her partner. 

With a jolt Artemis quickly exhaled and sat up in a split second. 

It was quiet. 

And the only breathing she could hear was her own.

She was no longer in her kitchen, but rather in her single twin bed pushed against the wall of her studio apartment. Taking deep breaths she felt around for her phone to check the time. 

3:45 am. 

She only beat her alarm by 15 minutes. Great. Artemis threw her legs over the side of the bed and began her day. She first made her way over to check on the broth that had been simmering on low in her kitchen overnight. But it was one, not four. And it was beef, not fish. She turned off the heat and began removing the tender brisket that starts to fall apart. After ensuring they are out and in a container she began to strain the spices, bones and herbs. She found the methodical routine of sorting out the broth in the morning calming, and a welcome routine to her days. By the time she finished up in the kitchen it was closing in on 4:00am so Artemis threw on some clothes and began bundling up for the brisk morning air. 

The first stop of her day was always at the fishmongers, and was truly the only reason she was up at this ungodly hour. She wrapped her forest green scarf around her neck and slipped on the matching fingerless gloves before slipping out the door and locking it behind her. The narrow staircase leading down to the front entrance creaked below her feet as usual before she finally was greeted with the cool late autumn air. 

It was still dark outside with only the grey clouds to lighten the sky. On her way down the street Artemis saw a group of women staggering along the sidewalk with their heels clutched in their hands, and their arms thrown around each other for support. She enjoyed the long walk down the city streets before they became crowded with people and noise. The only others she saw along the way were a couple of sleeping homeless people huddled under the entrances of storefronts. The rest of the walk down to the docks was fairly uneventful.

It was fairly easy to tell when you started to get near the dock, not because of the noises or the ocean view, but by the smell.

Maybe it’s because they live in a big city - or because they live in one of the most waste producing countries in the world- but the ocean on the shore of Gotham reeked. And the bustling of nearly a hundred fishmongers covered in fish guts and sweat did not help.

The giant open warehouse on the docks that housed these stalls had fish from all over the world, freshly caught and dragged in on the fishing boats each morning. If you truly cared about ingredients - and Artemis did - this was where you went to find the best options for seafood. There was shouting as the fishmongers started to sell to the arrival of people like Artemis, trying to make their dead fish sound the most appealing. 

“RED SNAPPERS, FRESH RED SNAPPERS! PRICE ADJUSTED BY COLOUR!”

“GET YOUR MUSSELS! STRAIGHT FROM THE OCEAN! MUSSELS!”

“WILD ALASKAN KING SALMON ARRIVED THIS MORNING! $20 A POUND!” 

Artemis remembers her first time journeying down here almost 2 years ago, her list of seafood she wanted clutched tightly in her fist as she tried navigating through the various stalls and styrofoam boxes. Despite it being a warm spring day, the cold from the ocean seemed to have been dragged in with that day's catch, and she felt chills run down her arms in her light t-shirt. She felt so unprepared and overwhelmed. 

Somehow the thought of her own overwhelming feelings brought back fond memories of when Dick coerced their friend group to drop all prefixes to words and instead use 'whelmed' and 'traught' all throughout her Junior year. That memory had helped her move out of the corner she had pushed herself and into the fray of fish. On her first shop at the fish market she had made the rookie mistake of keeping her head down and buying at face value, hoping to get through transactions as fast as possible. It wasn't until she had a friend on the inside to help her to haggle and find the best deals in the market- 

Not then anyway. 

"Artemis" 

She turned around and saw a familiar face making his way in steady strides towards her. Kal was still just as striking as he was in high school - dark skin with high cheekbones and an angular jawline. He was a good six inches taller than she was and his good posture and formal way of talking always seemed to elevate him further.

"Good morning" he greeted as he stopped directly in front of Artemis "How has your day been thus far?" 

"Oh you know" Artemis shrugged giving him a small smile "The usual 4am grind".

"As per usual" he grinned back "Is there anything you are searching for in particular today?" 

"Just some medium prawns and if there is anything you can recommend for my special?" 

"Hmm" Kal seemed to ponder her inquiry as his eyes drifted across the warehouse at the various stalls "I believe there was a good shipment of soft shell crabs over in the northeast section, would that be adequate?" 

"Sounds great as always Kal, thanks" 

"It was nice seeing you again Artemis, we should catch up sometime soon" He gave her arm a small pat and nodded at her in confirmation.

He always said that when they saw each other each week at the fish market but had yet to make good on their empty promises. It wasn't that they didn't want to- but neither of their schedules allowed it. Their encounters, like most of her friends, seemed to be limited to seeing them at work. Either she would pop into the fish market or bakery, or her friends would stop by her restaurant. Other than that, she never saw them. And that was okay.

It was fine.  
It was.

After they parted ways and Artemis bought the things she needed she made her way to the nearest bus stop with her haul. Walking there unencumbered was no problem but walking back with 2 days worth of seafood was a stretch. By the time she arrived back at her shop the sun had just begun to peak over the Gotham skyline. The lack of a full night's rest was finally starting to catch up with her body as she started unpacking that day's haul into the industrial refrigerators. She gave a bleary onceover of her small restaurant with her eyelids threatening to drop at any second. The little shop had pale yellow walls with areas of paint chipped away revealing an older, brighter yellow beneath. There was a wall that had a long red bench stretching along the length of the floor space, and 4 tables with chairs adjacent from the benched spots. There were 3 remaining tables scattered around the floor space. It was about 200 square feet of customer space total. The only decorations that adorned the restaurant (unless you counted the glass cups on each table containing chopsticks and spoons) were the few Vietnamese paintings covering large chips in the wall. Artemis was well aware that the small shop was a little rundown and needed some freshening up, but it was hers, and that’s what mattered. 

Artemis finally dragged her body back upstairs and set her alarm for an hour from then, and promptly passed out on top of her bed. It felt like 1 minute had passed before the trilling of her phone awoke Artemis to notify her that, yes, an hour did pass and it was time to get back to work. She began her second routine of the morning, and it wasn’t even 8am yet. 

By the time 9 o’clock rolled around, Artemis was back in the restaurant prepping for the lunch crowd. She had stopped by the butchers and Megan’s bakery across town. Megan’s bakery wasn’t the closest bakery by any means, but her friend was nice enough to make fresh baguettes for the banh mi she sold at Vietnamese. 

Oh yeah.  
That was the name. 

Was she proud of it?  
Nope.

Did she like it?  
Not really.

Did it get the point across of what she sold there?  
Yes, barring the occasional elderly veteran presuming she sold different...services.

Megan had greeted her cheerfully as usual and gave Artemis a quick rundown of everything that had happened in the last day since they had seen each other; Megan was trying a new cupcake frosting, Connor bought a new black shirt, Wolf (their rescued husky) could almost roll over, and they were planning on a small reunion with their mutual high school friends. Megan was very insistent that Artemis join them, reassuring her that it would be ‘just like old times’ If there was ever a phrase that made Artemis want to turn and run- it was that. Nonetheless, after nearly 5 minutes of Megan pleading, Artemis promised she would think about it.

Artemis loved prepping the kitchen. She loved the satisfaction of cutting into a crisp carrot and slicing it so thin that it lost its shape and wilted in the sauces. She loved the methodical nature of peeling and deveining shrimp, eager for the enjoyment people would gain from the fresh, plump bite. She loved standing in her own space feeling confident and ready. 

In the middle of rolling up some chả giò she heard the front door unlock and the bell chime welcoming in the new arrival. Artemis looked up and saw Kori, her waitress/kitchen assistant, come through the door with a bright smile on her caramel coloured cheeks. 

“Good morning, Artemis!”

“Hey Kori” Artemis replied looking back to the food at work. She heard Kori shuffling towards the kitchen to put her coat and bag in the small closet, before making her way next to Artemis. 

“Is there anything I may assist with?” Kori asked politely as she pulled her dark red hair into a ponytail. 

Artemis did a quick checklist through her head of the tasks that needed to be done before opening in an hour, and whether or not it was a task she trusted Kori with. While Kori was one of the sweetest and hardest working women Artemis had ever met, she had learned quickly that she was not adept in the kitchen. Anything that involved the stovetop was out of the question. 

“Can you wrap up some spring rolls?” Artemis asked, deciding that it only needed deft hands and no heat. 

“Some gỏi cuốn?” Kori asked teasingly.

Oops.

Artemis always forgot that Kori was fluent in Vietnamese and didn’t need the translation. The only person Artemis ever felt comfortable talking in Vietnamese to was her mother and everyone else got filtered through somehow. 

“Yep. Sorry, forgot” Artemis glanced over at Kori but she seemed unoffended as she smiled sweetly back at her.

“That is alright, I would be happy to roll them up for you. Shrimp and pork in all of them?” 

“Make a dozen of them with just the shrimp in case someone is pescatarian” 

Kori nodded in confirmation and they both got to work. After Kori finished she went on to give the tables an extra wipe and to begin cleaning up areas of the kitchen. Artemis was glad she hired her over the summer. She had been run ragged and even with her mother's occasional help in the kitchen and Zatanna popping in on the weekends to help with the crowds it was hard to manage most of the days on her own.

At 11:30am sharp the doors were unlocked and they stood in wait for the chaos. 

Artemis could always find her rhythm in the rushes; the movements across the kitchen felt like dancing. Lunch rounds were usually very straight forward, not many people wanted to be adventurous eaters for their allotted 30-45 minute break time. This meant a lot of pho, spring rolls, and banh mi’s. She was furthermore grateful that she had Kori taking orders and dealing with customers as she was a lot more patient and tolerant of rudeness than Artemis was. If Artemis had to hear someone call her ‘sweetheart’ or ask for the ‘man in charge’ despite reassurances that it was her establishment; she would have a hard time resisting hitting someone.

Ergo, Kori. 

It wasn’t until about 2:30 when the lunch rush seemed to start wrapping up and the few customers who had stayed to eat in had already dispersed leaving satisfyingly empty bowls and loose tips scattered on the tables. Artemis and Kori did a quick clear up so they could relax before prepping for the dinner round. 

“Artemis, would it be alright if I ran to the bank quickly?” 

“Sure Kori, no problem you can take your lunch break after that” Artemis smiled over at her.

“Thank you!” 

Kori beamed and hung up her apron quickly before exiting the building. Artemis finished clearing the rest of the tables and began rinsing the dishes before loading them up in the dishwasher. Over the noise of the water she heard the bell ring. Figuring it was just Kori returning she remained squatting by the dishwasher and loaded up the dishes, until she heard:

“Woof, what a dump”

Artemis froze in her spot and felt her jaw seize up. 

Breathe.  
Breathe.  
Breathe. 

This wasn’t the first she had heard this, but it was the first time she had heard it declared so openly after just walking in. Another familiar voice chimed in:

“Aw, c'mon give it a chance! You can’t judge a place by appearances, it has great food, I promise!”

“Dude, this can’t be the best place you have to show me after moving here. If this place was successful at all they would have the money to take care of it better. The most we will probably get here is food poisoning”

Alright that was about as much as Artemis could stand to hear. If this guy didn’t want to eat here he could slander her restaurant outside, but it wasn’t going to continue to talk shit inside her place. She didn’t even realize she had stood up while the man was talking and was already steadily making her way to the front door. 

Her eyes glazed over a familiar face that she recognised as her friend Dick who had been the one defending her restaurant; instead they landed on the figure next to him. 

She couldn't believe it. The absolute audacity this man - this boy - had of showing his face after 7 years and the first words out of his mouth is to talk shit of the restaurant she poured her soul, sweat, and tears into. 

Like a red-headed ghost of the past, Wally West strode back into her life.

And she couldn't wait to kick him the fuck back out.


	2. Chapter 2

When Wally finally moved back to Gotham he had imagined a lot more fanfare. He had imagined he would disappear for a while and make a name of himself that would slowly trickle through the grapevine of gossip. People would say to their neighbours ‘Did you hear about that lovely Wally West, he’s in ___ as a _____ and just won the ____ award! I always knew he’d do great things!’

He just figured those blanks would have filled themselves out by now. Granted, he’s not coming back with nothing! In his second year at Stanford he had decided to start a food blog trying to put his large appetite to good use and spread his knowledge of food to people in the area. Somehow it had gotten extremely popular and had led to an actual food critic job in San Francisco for a while, but as they say ‘all roads lead to home’ and after an offer from the Gotham Web Press (GWP) with much better pay and more freedom on his content, the return was inevitable. 

And that was how Wally ended up bleary-eyed at 7am waiting for the moving truck outside his apartment complex. He stood there slowly shifting his weight from one foot to another as his eyes took turns keeping a lookout. The heaviness of only getting 4 hours of sleep was settling on his eyelids and weighing down on his head. He could feel his neck slowly losing control of his head as it bobbed and nodded with each breath he took. 

Then the rich bitter smell of coffee wafted under his nose and his eyes shot open looking around desperately for the source. There in front of him with a smug smile and holding two steaming cups of coffee was none other than Dick Grayson. 

“Hot date last night keep you awake?” Dick grinned handing over a large cup of coffee. 

“Oh yeah, a real sexy night. Just me and my sleeping bag” Wally said as he accepted the coffee and took a big sip. 

“As long as your hand wasn’t in that equation I can still help you move your shit” 

“You nasty little troll! Get your head out of the gutter, it’s way too early for that” Wally shoved Dick as he laughed into his coffee.

“I didn’t hear denial!” Dick smiled holding his coffee up “I’m glad you’re back man, really missed having you around” 

“It’s good to be back” Wally tapped his cup against his and they both had a long drink in shared camaraderie . 

The movers arrived not too long after, giving the two men a chance to catch up and finish their drinks. Wally’s new apartment had two bedrooms, a large kitchen and a view of the Gotham skyline; it was really all a 26 year old could dream of.

By the time the movers were finished unloading everything it was nearing 3pm and Wally’s new apartment was littered with boxes and furniture covered in plastic. As soon as the last mover left the apartment Wally immediately ripped the plastic covering off of the sofa and crashed face first letting out a long groan. 

“Well I’m done for the day, should we order a pizza or something” Wally mumbled into the cushions.

“Dude, you are a professional food critic, you just moved to a new city, and you want a pizza?!” Dick exclaimed

“I’m moving back to this city so it’s not new, and I’m not on the clock so why should I be critiquing food?”

“What about your refined palate?”

“You’ve seen me eat 10 Big mac’s in one sitting, my palate is flexible” 

Wally felt a weight on top of his legs in the form of a firm but round buttocks. He then felt an annoying finger poking into the back of his head. 

“C’mon Wally, I know a really great place only a couple of blocks away from here. You’ve gotta integrate yourself back into the community at some point” Dick said as he continued to poke his head. Wally let out another long groan and pushed himself up onto his forearms before he responded.

“Fine! But this place better be pretty spectacular if you want me to leave the comfort of Sophia” 

Dick looked at him bizarrely. 

“Sophia?” 

“...the sofa” Wally murmured

Dick continued to look at him like naming your sofa wasn’t a thing completely sane people did.

“Mhmm. Okay. Let’s go before I find out what you named your fridge” 

The pair got up and collected their wallets and phones before making their way to the front door where Wally smiled slyly before whispering loudly to Dick.

“It’s Frederick” 

After a short 10 minute walk down to the place Dick recommended, with a scintillating debate on the benefits of naming your furniture (Wally took the affirmative, and Dick took the negative), they arrived in front of a small hole in the wall restaurant with a wonky red sign outside that read “Vietnamese”.

“Creative” Wally stated drily, as he took in the rundown appearance with heavy scepticism. He was exhausted after a long day of moving furniture and Dick wanted to drag him to some dodgy place with basically no name. Great. 

Wally reached for the door handle and pulled it open to reveal the very underwhelming, if not tacky, interior. The walls were painted an off-white colour for the areas that weren’t peeling off to reveal an acrid yellow beneath. There was a long fluorescent light above that was faintly flickering casting a faint strobe effect on the room. And the only form of ‘decoration’ was some asian paintings haphazardly taped to the walls. 

“Woof, what a dump” Wally said automatically. Dick looked at him with a shocked, and almost scared, look on his face. 

“Aw, c'mon give it a chance! You can’t judge a place by appearances, it has great food, I promise!” 

Dick started nervously glancing around the room. Wally just didn’t understand why he was defending this place. Surely there were plenty of sub-par Vietnamese restaurants that would do better than this place? He was too busy looking at Dick incredulously as he continued talking that he didn’t notice a third person enter the room. 

“Dude, this can’t be the best place you have to show me after moving here. If this place was successful at all they would have the money to take care of it better. The most we will probably get here is food poisoning” Wally let out a light chuckle before he heard a new voice chime in. 

“That can certainly be arranged”

Wally felt the smile freeze on his face as his ears perked up to the familiar husky voice. His attention slid off of Dick and onto the formidable presence of Artemis Crock. She stood there with her feet firmly planted in the middle of the room and arms crossed tightly over her chest. At first glance her face looked neutral, but Wally noticed the tightness in her jaw and a faint outline of straining muscles in her neck. It was a familiar look he had not ever planned on encountering again. Wally felt his throat go dry and his mind went blank, in the distance he could vaguely hear Dick talking but Artemis kept her steely eyes drilled into his. 

“-moving and wanted to get the best Vietnemese food in town, I hope that’s okay” 

“Dick, you know you are always welcome here whenever, but I would kindly” she spit the word venomously “ask that you think before bringing in unwanted guests to disparage my establishment” 

“Yeah, well you know Wally - he doesn’t exactly think before he speaks” Dick laughed nervously.

“Oh, I’m well aware” she said cooly before turning back to Wally “As we know, people can’t change who they truly are” 

This snapped Wally out of his frozen speechless state. “Look, I didn’t come here to cause trouble-”

“And yet you didn’t waste 2 seconds coming in here before proclaiming loudly that I’m shit at running my restaurant? What if there were customers in here?”

“Well maybe if you redecorated you would have some people in here besides Dick and me!” Wally responded hotly

He watched as Artemis’s jaw tensed and wondered if she still had the habit of grinding her teeth when annoyed. Wally then thought back to his last comment and wanted to bash his head on the yellow wall. Why - after 7 years of ‘growing up’ - can he not seem to think before opening his mouth in front of her. He should have started checking corners as soon as he stepped foot back into Gotham. He knew he needed to apologize. 

“Sor-”

“What gives you the right to come in and declare yourself an expert anyways?! Just because you can clear out a fast food chain in under an hour doesn’t suddenly make you a gourmont, it just means you have a big fucking mouth you can’t keep shut” 

Well alright then, if that’s how it was going to go.

“Well I’m a food critic for GWP; I’ve also had pieces published by Buzzfeed and The San Francisco Chronicle” He dragged his chin up trying to look smug.

Artemis narrowed her eyes and quickly turned her head back to Dick (who had been slowly inching away from the conflict) as if seeking confirmation to Wally’s statement. Dick stopped in his tracks and gave a small nod. Wally watched as Artemis took a deep breath and briefly closed her eyes, he could have sworn she mouthed some words, but he couldn’t quite make it out. 

“So what? Are you here to critique my food then?”  
This is where Dick (finally) decided to speak up. 

“Oh um, no! Wally just moved in today and I wanted to bring him to the best restaurant in town, completely unrelated that you happen to own it” 

“Yeah” Wally piped in “So can we be seated, or whatever?”

Artemis narrowed her eyes at Wally once more “Are you serious?”

Wally suddenly felt uncomfortable again. What was he doing here? Seven years ago Wally left to go to Stanford - he didn’t even bother to look back - she definitely wasn’t there waving him off. More likely she was off cursing his name and had continued to do so even before he had entered her restaurant. And now he was back, not with an apology, but demanding she feed him. Maybe he hadn’t changed as much as he liked to think he did. 

Wally was about to try and apologize again and make excuses to leave when Artemis interrupted again.

“Sor-”

“Fine- find yourselves a seat and I’ll bring a menu” 

She turned away from them quickly, her long ponytail swished behind her and narrowly avoided slapping him in the face. Wally stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds before Dick nudged him forward with his shoulder. The two of them made their way further into the restaurant and took one of the booth seats close to the kitchen. The kitchen was visible to customers through a large window with a countertop to put the ready orders onto. Artemis re-emerged from a side entrance to the kitchen with two laminated paper menus. 

“Here” she tossed them brusquely onto the table and whipped out a pad of paper and pen. “Can I get you two started with any drinks?” she asked monotonously. 

“I’ll take an iced coffee and a water” Dick replied 

She jotted down some words quickly before turning to him expressionless. 

“Oh!” Wally jumped, caught off guard he quickly scanned the menu trying to find the drinks, in his panic his brain seemed to have stopped functioning and he just said “I’ll have the same” 

Artemis visibly rolled her eyes and then tucked her pad of paper away and strode back to the kitchen. Wally wanted to crawl into a hole - but he settled for slumping deep into the booth while shooting daggers at Dick, who was avoiding his gaze. A few minutes passed and Artemis came out with a tray bearing two tall iced coffees and some small cups of water. There was a thick white layer of something on the bottom of the coffee glasses and chunky ice cubes floating on the top. Maybe she decided she was going to poison him after all. . 

If that was the case he was taking Dick down with him. 

As she set the glasses on the table, along with some paper straws, Dick immediately grabbed his and began stirring the coffee, mixing it with the viscous liquid on the bottom so that it turned into a milky brown throughout. Wally went to copy his actions and take a sip when he remembered Artemis was still standing over them with her lips pursed.  
Hesitantly he took a sip- 

Strong 

He was so taken aback by the strength of an iced coffee. The thick white liquid seemed to be - condensed milk? The intense sweetness balanced the thick acidic coffee as the cold beverage coated his tongue. It was a very bold taste that felt both refreshing and addictive. 

“Well?” Artemis asked impatiently 

“It’s really-”

“Hey Artemis! I am sorry I am late! There was a line at the bank!” A tall woman around their age ran into the restaurant tugging off her coat. Artemis broke eye contact and turned towards the new woman who ran towards them. 

“Don’t worry Kori. When you are ready can you take their orders in a minute?” Artemis gestured to them and then silently returned to the kitchen. 

“Oh! I apologise! I did not know there were customers - good afternoon! I see you already have drinks, I will be right with you to take your lunch orders” The woman, Kori, smiled brightly at them. 

“Thanks” Wally sighed as he realised that he had yet to say one polite or nice thing to Artemis since coming into the shop. There was no going back though, so he turned his attention to the menu. It was a very simple, plain design - the food was listed in vietnamese with english descriptions, a picture and the price. Easy to navigate, but not exactly eye-catching. 

“Hey Dick, what do you tend to get when you come here?”

“...”

When Wally got no response he looked up from the menu to see Dick’s gaze set decidedly not on the menu, and rather on their waitress-to-be. 

Of course.

Wally sighed to himself and took another glance at the menu. He saw that there were several dishes listed with small stars next to them - with a glance at the key in the bottom corner he saw that they were customer favorites. The favourites seemed pretty standard to his limited knowledge - Phở, Bánh mì, Bánh xèo, and Spring Rolls. 

While he waited for the waitress to come back - Wally took another glance about the restaurant. He really shouldn’t have blurted out what came first to his mind. It had always been a bad habit of his - and always seemed to land him in hot water with Artemis especially. However, that didn’t mean that his initial assessment was false - the place definitely needed sprucing up. Wally immediately went into critique mode, and subtly wiped a finger along the table. He was relieved when it came up clean but still looked on warily at the chipped paint on the walls. 

At that moment the waitress approached them.

“Good Afternoon! My name is Kori and I will be your waitress for today” 

“Hello” Dick extended his hand towards Kori “Dick Grayson, I’m a close friend of Artemis”

Wally could have sworn he heard a scoff come from the kitchen.

“Oh! Hello!” Kori eagerly shook his hand “Forgive me - did you say your name was … Dick? I was under the impression that was an insult rather than a name?”

“Believe me it’s an appropriate name nine times out of ten” Wally piped up

“It’s a shortened version of Richard” Dick supplied politely 

“How does one get ‘Dick’ from ‘Richard’?” Kori asked curiously 

“You ask nicely” 

Wally and Artemis answered simultaneously with the same reply. There was a moment of silence before harsh sounds of scrubbing metal began. Dick cleared his throat and answered to break the tension. 

“It’s old English, the name was shortened to Rich, then Rick, and that morphed into Dick.”

Kori let out a small laugh “The English language has always been full of bizarre adaptations. I apologise for all the questions - do you two know what you would like to order?”

“Could I please get the bánh mì, but without the cilantro?” Dick replied without glancing at the menu. 

“Yes, of course” Kori replied as she jotted that down and turned towards Wally “And you, sir?”

“Ah- yes, um hi I’m Wally” he already somehow felt like a third wheel between Dick and this woman, and they just met. How does Dick do it? He supposed there must be some self-confidence that came with growing up under one of the richest men in the city. 

“Could I get the… phở bò and whatever chef special or recommendation there might be?” Wally asked politely. 

“Absolutely, I will get those orders sent through- if you have anything else you need just let me know!” Kori turned around and placed the ticket on the open counter where it was quickly snatched up by an unseen hand. 

The two men sat in silence for several minutes after Kori went around the restaurant to continue cleaning tables. Wally took a pair of chopsticks out of the container on the table and carefully placed them on a napkin. He couldn’t stop his leg from bouncing nervously as he waited for their food to arrive. 

What if it wasn’t good?

He had eaten very little of Artemis’s cooking in the past and while it had been good, he didn’t know how much that may have changed over the years. Clearly she was successful enough to keep a place in Gotham, so that should be promising - even if the decor wasn’t. And surely Dick wouldn’t be that big of an asshole to both drag him into her life again while also knowing that her food sucked. 

Surely …. Not?

Wally glanced up at Dick who was still admiring their waitress from a distance with a dopey grin on his face. 

There was no way of knowing.

Wally figured it was a safe bet to kick him in the shins anyway.

“Ow! Dude, what the hell?!”

Wally ignored him as he continued fiddling with the sauces and condiments on the table. 

Dick apparently took in Wally’s broody silence as dangerous and tried to shift the conversation. 

“Do you think she’s single?” Dick leaned in to ask.

Wally froze with a sriracha bottle in his hand.

“D-do you mean Artemis?” he didn’t really want to think about the implications of Artemis in a relationship. Was it something he wanted? It’s not like Wally was any contender - he couldn’t even manage to be a friend. 

“What? No, I know she’s a single pringle. I meant, Kori - she’s cute right? Seems sweet”

Wally just ignored Dick and went back to playing with the chilli sauce - desperately trying to not imagine what kind of guy Artemis would want to date. Before he knew it, he heard a loud clattering on the counter to the kitchen. Kori quickly reappeared and grabbed the dishes, and she made her way over to the two of them beaming.

“Here is your phở bò and bánh mì!” She turned to face Wally “your chef special will be out in a couple minutes, but I thought you would want your meals as soon as they were ready. If there is anything else you need please let me know - I hope you enjoy your meals!”

Wally looked down at the food placed in front of him; there were two dishes, one had a large bowl of steaming phở and the other was a plate of bean sprouts, lime, basil leaves, cilantro, chilis, and jalapenos. In the past Wally had eaten phở a couple of times and for the most part the beef broth tasted like a stock cube had been dropped into boiling water with noodles and was garnished heavily with herbs and sprouts to try and cover up the flavor. This looked, on the whole, very simple. With all the garnishes on the side he got a good look at the bowl of noodles on its own. The broth was a light brown and very clear - with only a few circles of oil coating the top. Wally pushed aside the thin rice noodles and counted 1-2-3 different cuts of meat. There were tender chunks of brisket, beef tendon, and some semi-raw slices of eye of round. He watched with fascination as the pink pieces of meat slowly cooked in the steaming broth and used the chopsticks to swirl it all together. The steam wafted in his face and he could smell the spices as they mixed in with broth and onions. 

It smells incredible 

Wally eagerly grabbed the soup spoon and dipped it in to take a sip before he added in any of the extra toppings. The heat in the soup almost scorched the roof of his mouth, but when he pushed through the heat, there was an amazing complex flavor. There was a clean meatiness that you only got from cooking beef bones down for hours - this was no manufactured beef stock, this was made fresh and with care. Wally grabbed the plate and added in a little bit of everything, and watched as his bowl of soup was transformed even further. He took a long slurp of noodles with the toppings and let out a satisfied moan. The noodles bounced in his mouth as he chewed and the different cuts of beef all brought something new to the taste and texture. He continued bite after bite until he hit the bottom of the bowl.

“Watching you eat is truly terrifying. Aren’t you supposed to like, savor food as a critic? This feels like a disgrace to the food industry” Dick asked as he finished half of his sandwich. 

“Food is served at its optimal temperature - to let it get cold would be the true disgrace” Wally replied after he tipped the bowl back and finished the remaining broth. At that moment Kori returned with a second plate of food.

“Thank you for waiting! Here is the chef special - a fried soft shell crab bánh mì or bánh mì cua lột chiên giòn” 

Kori held aloft a plate that had a sandwich where the center was a fully intact deep fried, beer-battered crab. There were sprigs of cilantro poking out at the top and he saw some mayo on the bun that had started to spread and drip onto the crab. As Kori placed the plate in front of him he saw that the crab rested on a bed of lettuce and small jalapenos poked out around the crab claws. The bun was shaped like a hamburger bun, but had the consistency of a baguette. As he grabbed hold of the monstrous sandwich he squished it down and heard the satisfying crunch of bread and deep fried crab mingle together. He took a bite and the juices from the crab meat trapped inside the shell and batter burst in his mouth and dribbled down the side. He had been wary seeing the full crab deep fried - thinking that the shell would get in the way of biting through, but true to it’s name the shell was soft enough to act almost like a second fried layer. The crisp cilantro added some much needed freshness to the sandwich and eased the spice from the pickled jalapenos. What he thought was mayo on the sandwich turned out to be a tangy aioli mixed with something that tasted like - lime? The sandwich that had looked so daunting was a messy task to eat, but Wally found himself taking bite after bite. He’d never had anything so deep-fried, but also so fresh at the same time. 

Damn, that’s good

Wally realized he hadn’t said a word in the past several minutes, as he had been solely focused on his food. He looked up from his meal and saw Dick smiling at him with a smug grin. 

“I told you it was good” 

“Shut up” Wally said with his mouth full. 

Right as the two of them polished off their meals and drinks Kori arrived with a big smile as she took in the sight of their clean dishes. 

“Did you two enjoy your meal?”

“It was amazing as always” Dick smiled back at her “By the way, are you new here? I come by pretty regularly and don’t think I’ve seen you around here before”

“She’s been here for months Dick, but you never eat in so you wouldn’t know” Artemis said as she emerged from the kitchen once more wiping her hands on her apron. 

“Ah, well that explains it” Dick turned back to Kori and gave her a dazzling smile. He then began asking her questions about her time hear and invited her to sit down

This man has the absolute audacity to openly flirt after marching me into the lion's den.

What a dick. 

“So, what are your thoughts O’ great food critic” Artemis asked, sarcasm in her voice as she stared him down, arms crossed. 

Wally swallowed the nervous saliva that had begun to build in his throat. He was almost waiting for another interruption to ruin his moment of talking with Artemis. But when nothing happened except Artemis looking gradually annoyed at his silence, he finally choked out some words. 

“It was really good”

“Wow, really? People pay you to write ‘It was really good’?”

“Well it’s not like I was paid to eat here - Dick dragged me here!” he snapped back.

“I’m so sorry that you were forcibly dragged here to choke down my food, please allow Dick to drag your ass back out” Artemis turned quickly on her heel and started to stomp back towards the kitchen. 

“Wait!” Wally shouted back towards her as he quickly stumbled out of his seat. There was a stutter in Artemis’s steps as it seemed she was debating whether or not to stop - so he pressed on. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I was brought here against my will - I mean I kind of was - but I’m glad he made me come in! The food was really fresh and warming and it was just what I needed after a long morning moving in. I’m sorry that Dick dragged me in here without you knowing - I really didn’t mean to ambush you here. But thank you for letting me eat here. I really did enjoy it and could really tell you put a lot of effort in. I..uh..hope that you are happy here and I think it’s really amazing that you have your own restaurant and everything..uh..yeah..and I’m sorry for the shit I said when I came in, I didn’t really think before I opened my mouth - you must remember that - er yeah, but that’s no excuse so I’m really sorry...you never used to let me talk this long...umm….yup” 

Wally had not realised he was looking at his shoes until he finished talking, tentatively he glanced up to see Artemis staring at him blankly. There was several moments of silence until-

“Okay”

And that was it. 

Without any more words Artemis turned back around and headed back into the comforts of her kitchen. Wally continued on staring forward until he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. 

“I’ve just paid, are you ready to head out?” Dick asked quietly

Wally nodded as he was gently led towards the door and thanked Kori on his way out. The two men made their way into the apartment building in silence as the red head kept a fast paced 3 feet distance between himself and the darker haired young man. When Wally finally reached room 203 he shoved the keys in and quickly opened the door before his ‘friend’ could follow him in. Wally hastily slammed the door shut behind him right as Dick was about to enter. He emptied his pockets onto one of the boxes near the door and proceeded to throw open his fridge and grab a beer. Right as he was about to allow his body to be swallowed up by his sofa he heard the familiar jiggle and turning of the front door handle. 

Around the corner he saw Dick’s head pop out with a smarmy grin on his face. 

“Did you forget that you gave me the spare key?” 

“I thought the closed door would be enough of an indication that I don’t want to see you”

“Dude, if locked doors were a deterrent none of the senior pranks in high school would have happened”

“None of them SHOULD have happened, you were never a senior when you pulled that shit”

“It was boring by that point, plus I think I was driving Mr. Smith into an early drinking problem”

“Cause he retired your senior year?”

“Cause of the bottle of whisky I found in his locked drawer”

Wally let out a small huff of laughter and Dick slowly made his way further into the room. It was always hard staying mad at Dick, even if he could drive you up the wall and into an early retirement. Even all of Dick’s exes were still friends with him, whereas Wally couldn’t even manage to have a conversation with his old crush without her hating his guts. 

Wally turned on the sofa and buried his head into one of the cushions and let out a long groan. Dick made his way over and patted his head until he emerged to look at his friend.

“Why didn’t you tell me Artemis was going to be there?”

Dick pulled his hand away and let out a long sigh looking at his friend seriously before he replied.

“You wouldn’t have let me drag you in there if I had”

“Well I sure could have made myself look like less of an idiot before shit-talking her restaurant when we walked in”

“Wally, don’t worry….she already thought you were an idiot”

“I KNOW” Wally yelled jumping onto his feet “THAT’S THE FUCKING PROBLEM! To her I’m still the same idiot she went to high school with! Seven years of trying to become an adult that didn’t peak in high school and somehow that’s all gone down the drain the second I saw her again. Dick, we didn’t exactly leave things off on the best terms and now you’ve taken it into your hands to try and what? Fix it? Well, Good job! All better!”

Wally had started pacing throughout his tirade and had turned to Dick when he was finished; his ears started to blend in with his deep red hair as his temper rose. He thought back to the look on Artemis’ face when he saw her for the first time in ages, and the cold look devoid of any care of affection when she last saw him. At least this time she looked at him with fury in her eyes, which was not great but a far cry better than not caring at all. He would rather feel her fury over her apathy. He just didn’t want her to look at him and feel nothing….

Dick interrupted his derailed train of thoughts.

“Well you’ve got to start somewhere”

Wally let out another sigh and tugged at his hair before rolling his head so that he was looking in Dick’s direction. 

“I would have talked to her eventually. Probably would have been hard to avoid since we are in the same city with the same group of friends. I just- I would have liked to have planned something to say. Y’know bring out that Wall-man charm”

“Well, Wall-Man, Artemis has always been good at sniffing out your bullshit so I’m thinking it’s a good thing that you went in there less prepared. Unless you somehow plan on scripting all future conversations?”

“You could have at least told me so I could have worn something nicer than the moving clothes I’ve been wearing all day” Wally mumbled 

“Don’t worry you’re still in my top 5 attractive gingers” Dick gave an exaggerated wink which was responded to with a middle finger “Anyways, I’ll let you stew in your thoughts by yourself for a bit. We still on for the weekend?”

Wally gave Dick a small grin before he responded “Sure, just text me the address” he walked over and clapped his friend on the shoulder “Thanks for helping me with the move, now please- go away” 

Dick held up his hands in surrender and quietly backed out of the room. Wally heard the door click and wandered aimlessly over to the kitchen. He randomly opened the fridge door, but didn’t bother searching it’s contents - he wasn’t even hungry but he continued to stare at the bright light. 

Maybe the cold will cool down his hot head. 

Wally couldn’t get the blank look on Artemis’s face out of his mind. Did she hate him? Could he go back to her restaurant in the future? It truly was the best Vietnamese food he had eaten in a long time. If she was uncomfortable around him, he should respect her boundaries and stay away though, right? Or maybe she wanted him to continue to try and make amends? As his mind bounced around, he felt his face continue to heat up as he thought of her more. 

Damnit, she’s still beautiful

Clearly the fridge air wasn’t working. With a long sigh, Wally opened the freezer instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read my story! It has been lovely seeing the responses to this piece of work that I've been tossing around in my head for a while. 
> 
> If you haven't guessed already by the title - this story will be very food-centered. And if there is enough interest in the future, I thought I could create a blog or site that has the pictures of all the food used as inspiration for the chapters. 
> 
> I hope everyone continues to enjoy the story (and apologies if any weird spelling has slipped through- I have been living in England for several years and words like colour may be spelled inconsistently!)


End file.
